Method for medical treatment of joints, muscles, the nervous system and others

ABSTRACT

A method of treating joint, muscular and nervous-system disorders which comprise recording a pulse train consisting of signals of a sinusoidal wave having a duration less than the period of the sinusoid and a repetition time not divisible by said period upon an information carrier, reproducing the recorded signal to produce electrical pulses and applying said pulses to the patient.

UnIted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,880,170

Popov 1 Apr. 29, 1975 [5 METHOD FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF 3.077 884 2/1963 Batrow Ct :11. 128/423 JOINTS, NIUSCLES9 THE NERVOUS 3,490 458 1/1970 Allison 128/421 SYSTEM AND OTHERS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS {75] Inventor: Karamfil Vladimirov Popov, Sofia. 732.387 6/1932 France 128/420 Bulgaria 773,082 4/1957 United Kingdom 128/421 169.545 11/1951 Austria 128/419 R 1 1 Asslgneel g i Gradska Bolnltlat Sofia 722.474 12/1931 France 128/423 u garia [22] Ffl d; S t. 5, 1972 Priintlry Eraminer-William E. Kamm Attorney, Agent, or F1'rmKarl F. Ross; Herbert [21] Appl. No.: 286,408 Dubno 130] Foreign Application Priority Data [57.] ABSTRACT Sept. 22. 1971 Bulgaria 18620 A method of treating joint muscular and nervous 7 system disorders which comprise recording a pulse [5. U.S. Cl. 128/421 train consisting of signals of a Sinusoidal wave having [51] hit. Cl A61 1/36 a duration less than the p i of the sinusoid and a [58] Fleldaof Sim-ch 128/419 419 repetition time not divisible by said period upon an in- 172'] formation carrier. reproducing the recorded signal to produce electrical pulses and applying said pulses to [56] References Cited the patient. UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Cl 2 D 2.465.838 3/1949 Bernard 128/421 'awmg gums /RECORD1NG SIGNAL TRAIN CONSISTING OF SINUSOID SEGMENTS TAPE RECORDER AMPLl Fl ER STEP-UP TRANSFORMER 12 C TO PATIENT (THERAPEUTIC ELECTRIC PULSES CORRESPONDING TO SINUSOIDAL SEGMENT TRAIN) IF v RECORDING SIGNAL TRAIN CONSISTING OF SINUSOID SEGMENTS I I INFORMATION CARRIER WITH PRE-RECORDED SINUSOIDAL- lo I SEGMENT SIGNALS TAPE RECORDER AMPLIFIER |2\ :STEP-UP TRANSFORMER TO PATIENT (THERAPEUTIC ELECTRIC PULSES CORRESPONDING TO SINUSOIDAL SEGMENT TRAIN) METHOD FOR MEDICAL TREATMElIT OF JOINTS, MUSCLES, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND OTHERS The present invention refers to a method for the medical treatment of joints, muscles and the nervous system by means of electric impulses.

Electric impulses have been used for the treatment of many diseases. Those impulses are faradic, diadynamic, interferent and of various frequencies and modulations. In spite of the great variety of current impulses used for curative purposes and the satisfactory curvative effect achieved with certain diseases treatment with current impulses so far has not been successful with some severe diseases of the joints, muscles and the nervous system, such as rheumatoid arthritis, migraine and others.

Another disadvantage of the current impulses used for curative purposes to date is that they are obtained from some special generators which are comparatively complex and expensive, requiring constant maintenance and a qualified staff. Besides those generators cannot be safely and easily transported and do not allow the treatment to be carried out under domestic conditions. This restricts the possibilities of applying the electric impulse treatment.

lt is an object of this invention to make the method of electric impulse treatment more effective, especially for the treatment of the diseases of joints, muscles and the nervous system.

A second object of the invention is to make this method of treatment more handy and to enable its application under domestic conditions even by the patient himself.

The above objects are achieved according to the method of the present invention by treating the patient with a pulse train which consists of sine-wave voltage segments. The duration of the segment can differ from the, period of sine wave, and their repetition period need not be divisible by the period of this voltage. The impulses can have various duration and repetition period. The electric impulses thus defined make the treatment of joints, muscles and nervous system diseases amazingly successful. The treatment results in a durable assuagement, antiinflammatory, resorbtive and stimulating (dynamogenic) therapeutic effect without any side-effects whatever.

The treatment of the patient with the above impulses can be either direct, from a proper generator or with impulses recorded beforehand on an information carrier, a magnetic tape for instance, and then reproduced by a reproducer, for example a tape recorder. Thus from one generator records can be made on an unrestricted number of information-carriers. magnetic tapes for instance, each of which when reproduced by a tape-recorder can act as an electric-impulse generator.

The above and other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent by the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram representing the pulse train according to the invention, with the sinusoidal waveform on which it is based being illustrated in broken lines;

and

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to the invention.

In FIG. 2, l have shown a circuit for carrying out the invention. The circuit comprises a tape recorder 10 whose information is provided with sinusoidal signal segments at a previous stage in which one records the signal train as indicated by a block preceding recorder 10. The tape recorder 10 is connected to an ampliller 11 to increase the signal intensity. The amplifier 11 is connected to a step-up transformer 12 from which the electrical pulses are applied to the patient as indicated.

In FIG. 1 a broken line represents the basic sinusoidal wave, i.e. a sine wave voltage with the period T In this example the duration T2 of each impulse is less than the period T1 of the sine-wave output voltage, and the repetition period T3 of the above impulses to be higher than the period T1 of the same voltage.

The impulses obtained under the above conditions and intervals between them are shown on figure the figure by a heavy line. When controlling the duration T2 of the impulses and their repetition period T3, various pulse trains can be obtained. Their point of similarity is that the beginings and the ends of each train form different sine curves.

A condition necessary for obtaining the impulses thus described is that their duration T2 should differ from the period T1 of the sine-wave voltage, and the repitition period T3 of those impulses should not be divisible (to yield a whole number) by the period T1 of this voltage.

Due to their sinusoidal nature the above impulses can be easily recorded, for instance on a magnetic tape which allows them to be easily reproduced by an ordinary tape recorder in clinical as well as in domestic conditions.

When necessary at the output of the tape recorder an additional amplifier can be connected in order to amplify the pulse height. At the output of the tape recorder, the amplifier, respectively a step-up transformer is connected, which makes the patients electricshock-proof as well.

Through changing the motion of the magnetic tape when reproducing, the most proper repetition frequency of the electric impulses can be found and controlled.

The treatment of the patient with the above impulses, irrespective of how they are obtained, is carried out as in the methods of electric impulse treatment known so far.

I claim:

1. A method of treating a patient suffering from a joint, muscular or nervous-system disorder comprising the steps of recording a signal train consisting of segments of a single given sinusoid having a predetermined period on an information carrier, said segments having a given constant duration less than said period and a given constant repetition time which is not divisible by said period; reproducing the recorded signal; producing electrical pulses corresponding to the reproduced signal; and applying the electrical pulses to the patient. 

1. A method of treating a patient suffering from a joint, muscular or nervous-system disorder comprising the steps of recording a signal train consisting of segments of a single given sinusoid having a predetermined period on an information carrier, said segments having a given constant duration less than said period and a given constant repetition time which is not divisible by said period; reproducing the recorded signal; producing electrical pulses corresponding to the reproduced signal; and applying the electrical pulses to the patient. 